Gut Microbiota and Atrial Fibrillation: Pathogenesis, Mechanisms and Therapies

Ahmed M Al-Kaisey; William Figgett; Joshua Hawson; Fabienne Mackay; Stephen A Joseph; Jonathan M Kalman

doi:10.15420/aer.2022.33

Gut Microbiota and Atrial Fibrillation: Pathogenesis, Mechanisms and Therapies

Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2023 Apr 19:12:e14. doi: 10.15420/aer.2022.33. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ahmed M Al-Kaisey^{1

2}, William Figgett³, Joshua Hawson^{1

2}, Fabienne Mackay⁴, Stephen A Joseph^{1

5}, Jonathan M Kalman^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
² Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
⁵ Department of Cardiology, Western Health, Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

Over the past decade there has been an interest in understanding the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of AF. A number of studies have linked the gut microbiota to the occurrence of traditional AF risk factors such as hypertension and obesity. However, it remains unclear whether gut dysbiosis has a direct effect on arrhythmogenesis in AF. This article describes the current understanding of the effect of gut dysbiosis and associated metabolites on AF. In addition, current therapeutic strategies and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; catheter ablation; gut microbiota; inflammation; microbiome.

Publication types

Review